Downtown Harbor Construction to Begin

SAN PEDRO — The beginning of construction for the centerpiece of San Pedro’s new waterfront project has been given the OK, as the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners approved a $13.5 million “water cut” construction project Nov. 17 that will ready the area for the implementation of a “Downtown Harbor.”

The project will create the necessary land and harbor infrastructure to accommodate development of a new town square and promenade on the water. The location, just north of the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, will become a centerpiece of the ongoing revitalization of the Los Angles waterfront, proponents said.

“The Downtown Harbor development will be a crown jewel of the emerging L.A. waterfront,” said Port of Los Angeles executive director Geraldine Knatz. “This is the first major infrastructure project as a result of the Harbor Commission approval that we received in 2009, and the focus is on downtown first.”

The Downtown Harbor project will cut into approximately 1.2 acres of existing waterfront land along Harbor Boulevard, between Fire Station 112 to the north and the Maritime Museum to the south, creating a new harbor inlet where vessels can dock and approximately 700 linear feet of promenade. Surrounding the inlet will be a town square, featuring new landscaping, lighting and promenades.

Demolition and construction will be undertaken by Pomona-based Reyes Construction. The first phase of the project includes demolition of an existing downtown harbor parking lot, soil excavation and dredging, removal or relocation of existing utilities on the site, construction of a sheet pile wall system and extension of the Berth 85 tugboat wharf by 25 feet.

Since the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Downtown Harbor development project was approved in 2009, a series of public workshops have been held to gather feedback from the community and finalize design aspects.

The project is expected to break ground in January, and construction is expected to take approximately 16 months to complete. Development of the Downtown Harbor town square and promenade will follow and is expected to take an additional 12 to 18 months.